Joe Rocket Phoenix Clothing Reviews No personal experience. But here's the couple of first-hand reports that give me pause about this product. Here's one guy who went down wearing a Phoenix (this is from motorcycegearreview.com): /*--------- start of review ---------------*/ Though I do own a Phoenix jacket, the one I was riding with was the Reactor. This jacket is a hybrid leather/textile jacket with the top portions of the sleeves, the upper chest, shoulders, and upper back, and the sides all contructed of leather while the underside of the arms, and the body of the jacket are the same material as the Phoenix. The jacket is great for mild to warm weather riding, and JR seems to understand that big people ride, too (it was a 3XL). Product weaknesses: Had a recent low side through a turn at 50 mph. the material on the right forearm burned through, melting together at some points and giving me a nice patch of road rash. The jeans that I was wearing faired better than the jacket. It was a waste of money as I could have used the $175 that I spent on something that would have protected me better. Overall Opinion: Though I realize the jacket is a throw away piece, I would have hoped the material would have been destroyed, but not my arm. Considering the MSRP is $189.99, had I known that the material wouldn't stand up to a mid-speed crash (I hate to think of what would have happened had I been on the highway), I would have saved my money and invested it in some sort of cooling garb and a ventilated leather jacket. Someone once told me to spend as much money on protective motorcycle gear as you would on a series of skin grafts... sounds like a good plan. /*--------- end of review ---------------*/ Here' another review, and this guy only went down at 5 mph: /*--------- start of review ---------------*/ Overall Opinion: I had second thoughts about the jacket when I got it. There is no steel in the mesh. It's just polyester. I got a large, and while the shoulders fit and the snaps in the arms snug up the armor there, the torso is pretty loose. If I had a beer gut and man titties it may fit better. I should have ordered a Med instead of large to tighten up the upper torso fit a bit for the back pad. I'm 5'11" and 180 lbs so I'm not skinny by any means. If you're about this height and have a waistline smaller than 36" get a Med. It's cool and all, but a 5 mph flop told me that the jacket is a one time insurance policy. I've got a Mexican restaurant at the end of my alley. They cleaned out the area around their dumpster with a power cleaner to keep the stench down in the summer and left a lot of soap and suspended grease in the alley. I drive down the alley, touch the front brake to slow down for the street entrance, go lock to lock on the front then drop the bike just before sailing out into traffic. My right elbow slams into the concrete and the armor is great. I really don't slide much (or else I'd be under a car) but the mesh just frayed away and left a hole the size of a pool ball. the armor had some abrasion damage but not much more than small flecks of the foam gouged out. If I'd slid any distance at all I'm sure that the mesh would have dissolved. I lost a mirror but that was it. Solid pegs on the rearsets and clip on sliders saved the bodywork. The phoenix hit the dumpster, never to rise again, and I bought a blue/white leather jacket with a fully perforated front and back. I paid $400 for it, but if I drop the bike again I'm sure that the scuffs won't ruin the garment. If Joe Rocket was serious about the concept they'd have used kevlar in the mesh thread (a mix with the polyester at least - kevlar has a short life around a lot of human sweat) or otherwise recognized that the high abrasion risk areas of the mesh needed some additional reinforcement. Trust me, there is no polysteel. /*--------- end of review ---------------*/ After reading stuff like this, and then actually seeing this material first-hand...... ain't no way, guys. ST1100 riders tend to be serious riders who need serious gear. This Phoenix stuff is a joke. A bad joke, if you go down at speed wearing it, IMO. Again, one man's opinion, etc. Wear what you want; you are all big boys and girls who can make up your own mind with regard to your safety needs. warchild